Getting ready to GO!

Date night!

So, this last week was incredibly busy, because I have a lot of work to do. If all goes as planned, I will be open for business in a month! That is exciting, but incredibly intimidating. At this point, I just want to get started!

The week started off slowly. When I woke up on Monday, I was really sore from the Tough Mudder, and knew that Tuesday would be worse. For me, soreness is always worse two days after I've done something strenuous. I was right! I could barely stand up to get out of bed. I had to, though, because I had a meeting at the bank to open an account for GO! Gymnastics. Although I walked in awkwardly, and probably looked like I was struggling to stand up when I left, the account was opened. That's a huge step! I went to the gym to do some cardio, in an effort to return my body to normal, and fortunately for me, it worked. I felt MUCH better after my workout, and I was able to be more productive. Phew!

I taught a few private lessons this week, and I know I've said it before, but I really enjoy those. I have one small group that I teach, that isn't really a "private," because there are 6 girls in the class, but I design the class specifically for their dance needs. They are all between 8 and 10, and they are on the same dance team at a local studio. They have an interesting dynamic, because they are supportive of each other, but also very competitive. They challenge each other, because they all want to be the best in the group! That's positive in some ways, because the girls make progress fairly quickly, but it also makes things difficult, because there's always one or two of them who struggle on specific skills, and they get discouraged when they can't do what the others are doing. The funny thing is, they're all really at the same level. No one is really better than anybody else. Each of the girls has very distinct strengths and weaknesses, and it's my job to help them build on their strengths, while improving on their weaknesses. Yesterday, one of the girls was struggling with the conditioning I had assigned. I had the girls put their hands on a bar for balance, bend one leg, and try to touch the bent knee to the ground, then stand up. One of the girls was having a really hard time with the exercise (it's actually incredibly hard to do), and she broke down, discouraged. I told her not to worry about it. The exercise was hard for her because she had the longest legs in the group, so it made it more difficult. That seemed to make her feel better. Then, the other tall girl in the group looked at her legs, then at her friend's legs, and said, "Ummmm, I challenge that statement..." Ha! It was hard not to laugh, because she was very serious. Instead of laughing, I moved the girls onto a different station, in an effort to distract them. Kids say some funny things, and that's one of the best parts of my job! Side note: A customer came into the gym yesterday, for a private lesson. Her daughter dances for a local dance studio, and I have 8 girls from that studio that I teach, personally. In talking with the parent, I found out that the owner of this particular dance studio actually requires her students to come to Kenwood Gymnastics, to train certain skills. Apparently, she swears by Kenwood, saying all of her students who go to Kenwood learn their aerials, and other acrobatic skills in no time. I was proud to hear that! I know Kenwood has an awesome staff, but is a huge compliment to have someone in a closely-related industry, tell her clients the same thing. I think it says a lot about the gym!

This morning, I headed into work, in an attempt not to be too early (Charley wants to run wild, if we get there too early), only to find that every entrance to 35W was closed. Great. Just my luck! So, I was  a little bit late, but my first class went great, and Charley made it through her class without throwing a fit. This day was unique, because Charley had to stay for two classes instead of leaving after the first class to go to my mom's house. The second class started, and it wasn't long before I heard her crying from inside the kids' gym. So, I traded with my co-worker, and taught the preschoolers instead of the older kids. It was actually a lot of fun, and great practice for my new venture!

A 2-year-old in milkshake heaven...

Charley and I have been really busy, and on the go, lately. I shouldn't say lately. We're always busy, and on the go. That's just kind of my nature. I've always been a busy-body and a workaholic. Unfortunately, Charley does not seem to share that trait. She's definitely more of a homebody than me, and she really likes to spend time at home. So, last night, and part of the day today, I made a specific effort not to plan anything, and just to stay home. Generally, when we're on the go, we're running errands or going to the gym. We haven't had a lot of quality time lately, because I've been so busy trying to get organized for my business. So tonight, we had a date night. We went to Red Robin, which was actually pretty fun and it was a great atmosphere for kids. It was like Fudrucker's, except without the hanging slabs of meat hanging in the window (Edina kids totally know what I'm talking about). Anyway, I wanted it to be a special night, so I let her get a milkshake, which she is a huge fan of, naturally. I spend almost all of my time with Charley, but this was different, because I was deliberately trying to make it fun for her. And it was fun for me, too! We came home, and she quickly fell asleep. Win-win!

In other news, I recently joined this online "Meetup" group. I've got wonderful friends, but I'm trying to expand my social circle. I joined a couple of groups that are pretty well-targeted to me, like Minneapolis Hip Mamas (I'd like to think I'm hip, although I'm not sure that's totally accurate), Active Singles with Kids, etc. I've only gone to one meet-up so far, and it was a little awkward, because it was at the Edina Pool and the group was small, but the Hip Mamas I met were very nice. I haven't had the guts to venture out with the Active Singles group yet. I'm a little apprehensive about that, and I'm not really sure why. I just get the impression that most of the people will be significantly older than me. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Many of my close friends are quite a bit older. Anyway, we will see how these meetups go. At the very least, I'll get to meet a variety of new people without feeling like I'm re-entering the online dating world. Yikes!

I've started talking about my business more frequently lately, and now I have a favor to ask all of you. I'm trying to pick a logo, and I've narrowed it down to two options. Which do you like better, Option A or Option B? Keep in mind it's going on the side of a bus, and it's a children's gymnastics program. I appreciate your help!

Option A

Option B

Gettin' Muddy

Well, I did it! I completed the Tough Mudder. I might have been the slowest one in the group, but at the end of the day, I set a goal to complete the TM, and I reached that goal. I'll get more into detail with that, but first, let me give you a little bit of insight into the days leading up to the Mudder. This post will be a lengthy one, so I hope you're ready!

Last week didn't go as I'd planned, in general. Every day I planned to go to the gym, something came up, and I wasn't able to do the workout I'd intended. I made it to the gym three times, but not as much as I wanted, so I began feeling more and more unprepared. Then, Charley decided that sleeping wasn't really her thing. Wednesday and Thursday nights, she was up several times (probably due to the heat and lack of central air in our duplex), and although she went right back to sleep after waking up, I wasn't so lucky. It's always taken me awhile to get to sleep, and last week was no exception, so I was a little bit sleep deprived. On Friday night, she slept like a rock for 13 hours, so I was pleased! I thought for SURE she'd do the same for me on Saturday, because clearly she was wiped out. No such luck!

When tired toddlers shop...

On Saturday morning, I went to work as usual, but instead of going to my mom's house, Charley went to her friend Sawyer's house to play. She had a great time with her little buddy, and Sawyer's mom said Charley had been great, but seemed to be running a fever. Sure enough, her head was a little warm. But she didn't seem to be acting unusual, so we met up with my friend Kim for some shopping and lunch. I'd been on the hunt for a pair of lime green athletic shorts, because one of my fellow Tough Mudders said that everyone was going to wear them along with our team shirts to complete the race. We ended up at TJ MAXX, where I found some incredibly neon shorts for $7...Totally in my price range! We went from there to Panera where we ate lunch, and chatted for a bit. Charley ate some of her lunch, but after awhile, she put her head on my lap, and before I knew it, she was asleep! I knew she was tired, and it reinforced that her fever might have been due to something more than a growth spurt. When she woke up from her nap, she seemed to feel great and went to bed easily. "Woohoo!" I thought. "She's in bed early, and I'll be able to get to sleep before 10!" Ha! Not so much. One of my TM friends had sent an e-mail earlier in the week, encouraging everyone to check out the obstacle course in advance, so we could be prepared. I looked at The Berlin Wall, and several others, and figured they wouldn't be a problem. I'm strong as crap so strength events don't bother me. Then I saw one called The Boa Constrictor and another called The Trench. I was instantly in panic mode. I am extremely claustrophobic, and these events required crawling through small, dark spaces. Suddenly, my nightmare seemed as though it would become a reality in less than 24 hours. The thought freaked me out, so I took some melatonin to help me get to sleep.

Then, in the middle of the night, Charley started crying several times, which meant I was up several times as well. Around 1:30, I heard a loud popping sound. Then a minute later, I heard another, and it sounded very close by. I had an internal panic attack, because I like all of my neighbors quite a bit, and I was convinced I'd just heard a murder-suicide take place. Perhaps the lack of sleep from the previous days was getting to me? Anyway, that kept me up, ultra-paraoid, for about another 30 minutes to an hour. So much for getting a good night's sleep before the TM! Charley woke up, happy as she could be, around 4:30 a.m., and she was ready to go! I think if I did the math, that means I got a total of about 4 hours of sleep on Saturday night. I knew I could handle it. I'd make myself some coffee, and that would perk me up! That's when I realized that the bag of coffee I'd purchased the night before was full of coffee beans...not ground coffee. Typical! I intended to get out the door in time to pick up some Starbuck's before heading over to my team's meeting place, but that didn't happen, so I ate my Cliff bar, and drank a bottle of water, and prepared myself for a long, grueling day

The Tough Mudder was exciting. They say it's a team activity, and that's the truth. It was like the ultimate team task, and I couldn't have been on a better team. We all met up at Colleen's house (she'd done most of the organizing for the race), and broke off into carpools from there. I rode with some of my fellow coaches, and we had a great drive out to Somerset, Wisconsin. As we got closer, the excitement continued to build, and we were all pretty ready to get going. I was nervous. Not nervous about the obstacles, but nervous about the running. I'm not a runner. I've talked to several of my fellow gymnasts, and we've all determined that good gymnasts have more difficulty training themselves for endurance- based events. We were trained for so many years to go really hard in short spurts, but have trouble with distances. Plus, I knew my asthma  and allergies would be an issue, because nearly all of my training had been indoors. Well, I was right. I struggled with the running, quite a bit. By Mile 3, I was convinced we HAD to have run like 6 miles already. Ha! I probably walked through half of the course. I felt like the girl on one of the Real World Challenges that held up her whole group. With that said, my team was SUPER supportive and really fun to work with. I completed all of the challenges without any issues, although I chose to skip the obstacle that required climbing over hay bales. Could I have made the climb? Sure! But I would have been wheezing and swollen for the rest of the day, so I opted out. The obstacles were challenging, but definitely my favorite part of the course. Even The Trench and The Boa Constrictor weren't nearly as bad as I'd anticipated. They were actually kind of fun! At one of the last obstacles, we had to climb monkey bars that went up at an incline, and then down. I climbed across like a kindergartner, one hand at a time, but I made it all the way across. One of my teammates looked at me with a questioning grin, and said, "Did you make it?" "Yeah!" I replied. "I'm strong as crap, it's just my endurance that sucks!" Ha! My favorite parts were the obstacles that required us to climb over mounds of slippery mud. We got to slide down the mud into puddles of MORE mud, and we even took a couple of breaks to float in the mud. Needless to say, the entire team was a muddy mess! But that was part of the fun.

The entire course was full of hills, and challenging paths, and if my team hadn't been there, I certainly wouldn't have made it through. But I genuinely enjoyed the comradery within my team. Everybody was having fun, helping each other, scaling walls together. It was quite an experience. I loved every minute of it, even when my legs were cramping up and I was struggling through The Arctic Enema (swimming through ice water). As much as it was a challenge, I think I would do it again. The teamwork and "mental grit" the Tough Mudder requires, made for a long, but incredible day. I think the best part of the day was when the entire team kicked up into handstands, and crossed the finish line together. It was awesome! Then we were given our orange headbands, t-shirts, and well-deserved beers. We hung around for awhile, talking, and washing as much of the dirt and mud off of ourselves as possible (I was still covered in a layer of dirt when I got home, despite my best attempt of cleaning off with a hose). We walked back to the cars, sat outside, shared some drinks, and headed home. It was a day I'll never forget.

Now, after all of that, the team went back to Colleen's house to grill out and recover. I had to leave, unfortunately, because Charley still wasn't feeling well, and she was becoming pretty anxious for her mommy. Duty calls! I was happy to see her, and we both slept like rocks last night. This morning, I took her back to TJ MAXX so I could buy some more running shorts. After wearing my first pair through the TM, I might officially convert from leggings and a tank top, to running shorts, and athletic shirts. There really is a difference in comfort!

So, to sum up, I've learned the following random facts in the last week:
1. The Tough Mudder is every bit as extreme as it's advertised to be.
2. I can make my way through enclosed spaces without having a panic attack.
3. I clearly don't know what a gun shot sounds like, because all of my neighbors are still alive (thank goodness!).
4. Running shorts are amazing.
5. I should wear shorts and athletic headbands more often. One of my teammates told me I looked like I was 20, and the lady at the check in for the TM questioned my age.
6. The Kenwood Gymnastys are awesome (although I really already knew that).
7. The TM makes me sore. Not just a little sore. Waddle like a duck, sore.
8. It's possible for me to have scratches and bruises all over my body, and not be able to pinpoint exactly when any of them took place.
9. I'm not discouraged because I was the slowest team member. In fact, I'm motivated NOT to be the slowest one next time!
10. Slow and steady might not win the race, but definitely still completes it!

If you read through all that, you deserve a drink! Wine tonight, anyone? Cheers!

Adventures in Babysitting

So, I promised more stories, and I plan to fulfill that promise. The last couple of weeks has been busy, and full of activities, so I certainly have plenty to share. From working like a maniac, to Charley's antics, it's been busy, but fun! The last couple of days, I've spent a lot of time in the gym coaching. I've been coaching private lessons for the most part, which is great, because I get to know the kids really well. It's definitely enjoyable, but it certainly wears me out!

Anyway, I worked yesterday, and Charley spent the day with my mom. She is so funny, because she always has a good time when she's playing with her Nana and Boppa, but she generally puts up a fight when I leave. Today, we were able to distract her with toys before I left, and avoided a meltdown. Woohoo! That's a bonus for me! Charley's been the queen of one-liners recently. The other day I was at the gym, and went to pick her up from the childcare center. I said, "Charley, I missed you!" Her response? "Yeah, whatever." The girl behind the counter heard it and started laughing uncontrollably. Yup! That's my kid. Charley's been getting particularly spoiled recently, too. 98% of the time, I have a sitter for her, while I'm coaching, or teaching private lessons. However, once in awhile, she has to come to the gym when I teach a private, and generally she just plays with the parent of the child I'm working with. Tuesday was one of those days.

Charley started out great, playing with another little girl who was watching her sister do gymnastics. After that, she went into the kids' gym and took out some orange cones, which she brought out to me, saying, "Happy Birthday!" That was a big hit with the parents sitting in the waiting area. Then she came out on the gym floor for a bit, which I really don't like, but as long as she is out of everybody's way, I'll deal with it. She was actually really good for about the first 45 minutes of the hour long lesson. Then, it was meltdown time. She found this long, metal pole, and was shooting it at anybody who came by like it was a light saber. She must have gotten that from her cousin, because she certainly didn't get it from me! Anyway, it was entertaining for a minute, until I took it away, and everybody in the gym got to listen to about 10 minutes of "No!" followed by, " I'm NOT going to sit down! I want to jump!" Let's just say, she showed her 2-year-old side. I put her in time out, which didn't go over well with her, but it gave me enough time to finish out the class. As we were leaving, one of the moms who had been watching said to me,"That was like free entertainment! Can you bring her next time?" Ha! I am all about laughing at my own expense (and my child's), but if I can avoid bringing her to the gym, I'm  going to do it! Even though the parents loved it, selfishly, I didn't. Imagine that!

Yesterday, my recreational team girls were in the gym, and I love working with that group. I am choreographing a group floor routine, which I haven't done in awhile. I've done a couple of individual floor routines (which is funny, because they generally include pieces from my old floor routines), and I've done a few group routines, but it's been awhile. It's actually kind of fun! It's a lot of work, trying to figure out spacing, and decide what looks good and what doesn't, but I'm really enjoying putting the routine together! On a different note, one of my private lessons canceled on me yesterday, which gave me a free hour in the gym. There happened to be some adult tumblers there, so I jumped in with the class and had some fun! I like getting out on the equipment and doing things I haven't done in years. And I didn't hurt myself this time! Woohoo!

The last couple of days, I've been doing a lot of work for GO! GYMNASTICS. I've been working on a logo, putting together lesson plans, etc. It's starting to come together very quickly and that's exciting. It also means I have a TON of things to do. I like it though, it keeps me busy. Hopefully, it will keep me busy for a long time!

Last night, after I finished at work, I went to my first ever "Gender Reveal" party for some of my friends. I've known my friend Katie since high school, and her husband Max even longer, and they really are a great couple. They have a son already, and at the party yesterday, they had a box filled with balloons that would reveal the gender of their baby-on-the-way. Naturally, I was late, and missed the big reveal. Lucky for me Katie had video! I've never seen someone so excited by pink balloons! It was a great idea, and a fun little get together. I'll have to keep that in mind for the future...The VERY distant future.

So, this morning I got a text from one of my girlfriends, asking me if I could watch her kids, because she had a bit of a babysitting emergency. I've totally been there, and it's the worst! I only ended up watching her youngest, because she'd figured something out for her older child, and it was really fun. Her son is about 10 months old, and busy as can be. He's a stereotypical boy! Charley was so excited to have someone to play with all day, and I think she really liked being the "big kid." We went to the splash pad, and they played in the water because it was so stinking hot outside, and they both had a great time! Charley was very sweet with him, patting him on the head, and saying, " Hi little guy! How are you?" She might have heard that somewhere.... Ha! She's totally my mini-me. Anyway, I was thinking how she would make a great big sister (and she will someday), because she was playing so well with him. Then, he made a dangerous mistake. He approached, and even TOUCHED the iPad! In Charley's world, that can be a deal breaker. "Hey! That's MINE!" she shouted several times, as he innocently banged away on the screen. My "big sister" bubble was totally burst. Ha! She's two, it's really how I expected her to react. I mean, by the time the thought of being a big sister is even an inkling, she will be older and she will be a GREAT big sister. But her possessiveness made me laugh. On another note, this little guy I watched today is like an angel child. He was so easy! He only cried once all day, and that's because he was hungry. It made the day go by faster, and even wore Charley out enough for a second nap today. Thank goodness for that!

I suppose that's enough rambling for today. Sometime in the next couple of days, I'll give an update on my personal life, which I'm sure is always amusing to those of you who are settled down...and maybe more amusing to those who aren't, because you can probably relate! More tomorrow...

So Much to Tell...

It's been awhile since I've blogged, and it's not because my life hasn't been interesting... it's actually because I've been without a computer! I thought about blogging from my phone or iPad, but then I tried it. It was frustrating, and took forever, then wouldn't post when I made an attempt. So I abandoned the blog until I got a new computer. Hooray, I got a new one, which I love, by the way, so I'm back in action!

I've had a lot going on lately. Those of you who know me well, know that I've always been a bit of a busy-body. I tend to be on the go all the time, and this summer has been no exception. I've been to Kansas City twice since May, to visit friends, and outside of that I've been working a lot. I know I've said it before, and it might sound cheesy, but I LOVE my job. I love to teach and there's nothing I'm better at teaching than gymnastics. I've always enjoyed teaching gymnastics, but some days it really hits me that I'm very lucky. Some people like their jobs, some people loathe their jobs. But I truly LOVE mine. It's partially due to the fact that I work with great people, and partially because I adore my students. There's nothing more exciting to me than watching a kid finally land a skill they've been working for weeks or even months. It's very rewarding. I genuinely feel blessed to have found what I'm good at, and passionate about, at an early age.

In previous posts, I've mentioned that I'm starting a business. I've kept it kind of quiet, because I wanted to get the basics into place. Now, it's in the works, and should be up and running before September. Along with my friend Blair, I'm starting a mobile gymnastics business. The company is called Go!Gymnastics, and we'll be traveling around the Twin Cities on a bus which will be retrofitted with gymnastics equipment. I am really excited to get it started, and get busy promoting the program. I'm a self-proclaimed workaholic, and I've always worked 60+ hours a week. I'm looking forward to seeing the benefits of my hard work. I think it's going to be great for me, but more importantly, for Charley. I'll have a bit of a more flexible schedule, which means more time for her.


Aside from the business stuff, I've had a lot of other things going on in my life. For one thing, Charley is almost 2 and a half now, and she's asserting her independence regularly. More regularly than I would like! The other day she said, "Mom, look at me," very seriously, then looked me in the eyes and said, "No! I will NOT go to bed." Ha! That's what she thought! Of course she ended up going to bed, but she certainly put up a fight.  She's mastered my "mom" look, and she's not even 3 years old. That's a little bit frightening. I don't even want to THINK about her teenage years. At the same time, she can be so incredibly sweet and adorable that she makes me just want to squeeze her. I love that she's strong-willed, but she certainly knows how to push my buttons.


Recently, I've befriended the parents of a little girl from Charley's gymnastics class. It's been great. Charley and their daughter Aurora are like two peas in a pod. Neither of the girls go to preschool yet, so it's really good for their socialization, for them to play. Today, we went to the Como Zoo, and we discovered their splash pad. It was amazing, and the girls had a great time with each other. They ran in circles, squealing, for at least 30 minutes straight. They were cracking me up. I love watching them interact, too. Charley has a tendency to be bossy, and Aurora doesn't put up with her crap. It goes both ways, too. The girls are good for each other. On a side note, it's nice to have made friends with another family that has kids! I have amazing friends in Minnesota, but only a few have any kids. It's always nice to expand my social circle, and Charley's as well!

On another note, I have the Tough Mudder next weekend. A month ago, I felt confident about the race. Now? Totally different story. Three weeks ago, I tore an abdominal muscle, and it's been impossible to do ab work at all. The worst part is, it was a totally stupid injury (as they usually are). I think sometimes I forget I'm almost 30. I posted on FB a couple weeks ago, that I'd done 60 back tucks that day. At the time, it didn't hurt, but naturally I was sore in the following days. Three days after I did my little tumbling workout, I was teaching a class, and my students' were not understanding the body position I was describing. So, like an idiot, I forgot that I was sore, and jumped on the bars. The minute my hands caught the bar, I felt a rip in my stomach, and immediately regretted my attempt at a demonstration. So, I've been going to the gym, but watering down my workouts so I don't re-injure myself. With that said, I'm hoping I survive the Tough Mudder, because I feel like I was in better shape a month ago! Oh well, I'll be working my butt off at the gym this week, and hopefully I make it through without looking like an idiot.

I've got a lot more to share...Lots has been going on... But I'm about to fall asleep, so I'll get to it tomorrow. I hope everyone is having a good summer so far!